 "Photo: Steve Bodnar")
An array of colored shirts hung on clotheslines in the Strafford Room on Monday and Tuesday, bearing the drawings and words of those affected by intimate partner abuse and sexual assault. The messages ranged from declarations of anger to assertions of survival; some shirts had short statements while others were covered with lengthy personal stories.
The shirts were part of The Clothesline Project, which aims to educate and raise awareness about sexual and domestic violence. The display was sponsored by SHARPP in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, and will be displayed again in April to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness month.
The Clothesline Project was started in 1990 in Cape Cod by a small group of women who had experienced forms of violence. Using a clothesline with hanging shirts came from the idea that laundry was women's work and that women often talked to each other while hanging clothes out to dry. The clothesline and shirts represent the airing of society's "dirty laundry."
The intent is that by decorating a shirt, women affected by sexual and domestic violence can heal, educate others and let others affected by violence know they are not alone. The shirts are color coded to represent different types of sexual and domestic violence, but those who decorate shirts do not always follow the color code. --The names of people who make shirts remain confidential.
The Clothesline Project now has projects in at least 41 states and five countries. Here in New Hampshire, The Clothesline Project is displayed each spring on the State House lawn in Concord and at Colby Sawyer College in New London. The state display is made up of over 3,000 shirts.
Mary Mayhew, Director of SHARPP, said UNH has participated in The Clothesline Project for about 10 years, and all of the shirts in the UNH display are made by members of the UNH community.
"We know it's [sexual and domestic violence] happening, but to see it takes it to a whole other place," said Mayhew.
Kristen, who is unable to give her last name, is an AmeriCorps victim assistant. She works at SHARPP and helped organize and facilitate The Clothesline Project. Before working at UNH, Kristen was involved with The Clothesline Project when she was a student at Ohio Wesleyan University. She has seen some people make shirts and keep them, using them as a way to feel better on tough days.
"It's a way for people to heal, to get something out," said Kristen.
Teri Hatch, a SHARPP advocate, said people who come in and make shirts are there for different reasons and experience a broad range of emotions. Some make shirts for themselves, some for a person they know. As a result, she said, it is hard to say what kinds of different emotions they are experiencing.
Mayhew said for some making a shirt is an empowering way for them to display their feelings, and for some it is an emotional experience. Andrea Miers, a SHARPP peer educator, said making the shirts has a powerful effect because those who make shirts are sharing their experiences with others.
Kristen said through the display people see that sexual violence and intimate partner abuse affect anyone and everyone. The color coding systems allows those who visit the display to see how many people have been affected by each type of violence.
"It's a lot more empowering than a statistical number," said Kristen.
Miers said it was her first time seeing the shirts. "I think it's really powerful," she said.
She said that the shirts surprised her because she expected general messages on them. "I didn't expect so many to have actual stories written on them," said Miers.
Kristen said sometimes people who walk through The Clothesline Project gasp and there isn't much conversation.
"It's usually not very talkative," said Kristen. "You just kind of read them and take them in."
She also said people who visit the display usually have a couple of shirts that stick with them in their mind after they leave. "It'll hit you in some way," said Kristen.
She said a goal of the display is to inspire everyone to make a shirt and raise awareness, whether or not they have been personally affected by sexual violence.
At the very least, Kristen said the mere presence of The Clothesline Project prompts people to think and talk about the problem of sexual violence, which she said gets "pushed from the forefront."
Part of this presence is fliers and advertisements, which she said could have an effect and spark people's interest even if they do not go to the actual display. "At least you saw something," said Kristen. "At least something was there."
Be the first to comment on this article!